A helicopter autopilot system includes an inner loop for attitude hold for the flight of the helicopter including a given level of redundancy applied to the inner loop. An outer loop is configured for providing a navigation function with respect to the flight of the helicopter including a different level of redundancy than the inner loop. An actuator provides a braking force on a linkage that serves to stabilize the flight of the helicopter during a power failure. The actuator is electromechanical and receives electrical drive signals to provide automatic flight control of the helicopter without requiring a hydraulic assistance system in the helicopter. The autopilot can operate the helicopter in a failed mode of the hydraulic assistance system. A number of flight modes are described with associated sensor inputs including rate based and true attitude modes.

A control system configured to control a deceleration process of an air vehicle which comprises at least one tiltable propulsion unit, each of the at least one tiltable propulsion units is tiltable to provide a thrust whose direction is variable at least between a general vertical thrust vector direction and a general longitudinal thrust vector direction with respect to the air vehicle.

A method of controlling rotor moments includes receiving, in a flight control computer (FCC) a rotor moment reference value based on pilot inceptor inputs, sensing rotor moment from one or more sensors, receiving, in the FCC, a rotary wing aircraft condition parameter, and establishing, through the FCC, a rotor blade pitch angle for one or more of a plurality of rotor blades that counteracts external forces acting upon the rotary wing aircraft.

An abnormality diagnosis system configured to diagnose an abnormality of an electric drive system mounted on a mobile body to drive a motor for moving the mobile body, includes: an information acquisition unit configured to acquire a motor output information which is information related to an output state of the motor; an output state determination unit configured to determine whether the output state of the motor is in a low output state that does not contribute to a movement of the mobile body by using the motor output information; and a diagnosis execution unit configured to diagnose an abnormality of the electric drive system when it is determined that the motor is in the low output state.

This disclosure describes an aerial vehicle, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”), which includes a plurality of maneuverability propulsion mechanisms that enable the aerial vehicle to move in any of the six degrees of freedom (surge, sway, heave, pitch, yaw, and roll). The aerial vehicle may also include a lifting propulsion mechanism that operates to generate a force sufficient to maintain the aerial vehicle at an altitude.

The present disclosure pertains to a multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Aspects of the present disclosure provide a UAV that includes at least four arms, each configured with a co-axial pair of contra rotating propellers, wherein each propeller has capability of rotating reversibly with associated reversal of direction of thrust, and an autopilot control system that controls rotational direction and speed of the at least four co-axial pairs of propellers to maintain yaw stability, roll stability and pitch stability of the UAV, wherein in an event of failure of any one co-axial pair out of the at least four co-axial pairs of propellers, the autopilot control system reverses direction of rotation and thereby direction of thrust of at least one propeller of any functional pair.

Described herein are methods and systems for picking up, transporting, and lowering a payload coupled to a tether of a winch system arranged on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). For example, the winch system may include a motor for winding and unwinding the tether from a spool, and the UAV's control system may operate the motor to lower the tether toward the ground so a payload may be attached to the tether. The control system may monitor an electric current supplied to the motor to determine whether the payload has been attached to the tether. In another example, when lowering a payload, the control system may monitor the motor current to determine that the payload has reached the ground and responsively operate the motor to detach the payload from the tether. The control system may then monitor the motor current to determine whether the payload has detached from the tether.

A vertical take-off and landing (“VTOL”) unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) system and a method of controlling the same, wherein such method controls the stability and maneuverability of the VTOL UAV by manipulating the speeds of the propellers at each rotor. The VTOL UAV includes a body with three extending arms, wherein each of such arms is aligned and fixed at a certain angle from a central axis passing through the body. Each extending arm is equipped with a rotor with propellers. The rotors are sufficient to control the yaw of the UAV, and there is no need for coaxial rotors or an extra servo-motor in order to control the yaw of the UAV, thus reducing the cost and the weight of the UAV.

In accordance with an embodiment, a method of operating an aircraft includes operating the aircraft in a first mode including determining an attitude based on a pilot stick signal, where a translational speed or an attitude of the aircraft is proportional to an amplitude of the pilot stick signal in the first mode; transitioning from the first mode to a second mode when a velocity of the aircraft exceeds a first velocity threshold; and operating the aircraft in the second mode where the output of the rate controller is proportional to the amplitude of the pilot stick signal.

Provided in this disclosure is a system and methods for wind compensation of an electric aircraft. More specifically, provided in this disclosure is a controller of an aircraft configured to use a plant model for compensating for wind forces. The processor is configured to receive, from the sensor, at least a geographical datum of the electric aircraft.